The generating station of the Storr Lochs hydro-electric scheme is situated at the base of a 350 foot cliff on the shores of Bearreraig Bay on northeast Skye. Early in the construction stage, contractors, James Miller and Partners Ltd planned to bring materials and equipment in by landing craft, but the strong tides and the loss of a vessel loaded with supplies changed that. Instead everything had to be brought overland and down the cliff. To make access easier a cable railway was built. The lower section of the railway can be seen behind the station, and clearly visible is the set of 647 steps roughly cast in the concrete beside the railway.

In the late 1940s, James Shearer was hired as consultant architect for the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board and worked for them for 20 years. With this forward looking new industry, he was encouraged to express his own ideas on design of the buildings. He wanted to create buildings that were not just functional but aesthetically pleasing, and his preference to use local materials often resulted in quarries re-opening and providing additional local employment. His use of rugged stone masonry and slate roofs compliments the local surroundings.

The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board received permission to construct a dam and power station at Storr Lochs on the Isle of Skye in 1949. The project combined the waters of Loch Fada and Loch Leathan in the Storr Lochs reservoir, with the generating house below on Bearreraig Bay. Construction began in early 1950, and was commissioned in May 1952. Before this a number of houses in the Broadford area had electricity via underwater cable from Kyle of Lochalsh, sourced at Nostie Bridge power station. In Portree, the Royal Hotel had a small diesel generator which provided some street lighting and a few houses with electricity, while most hotels and some larger houses had their own generators.

The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board was established under the Hydro-Electric Development (Scotland) Act 1943. Thomas Johnston presented the Act in the House of Commons, declaring that by harnessing 'the great latent power of the region' it would assist in remedying the ills that affected the Highlands. Johnston told the Commons that 'industries, whether owned nationally or privately, will be and ought to be, attracted to locations in the Highlands, as a result of this measure'.

Ordinary consumers would have priority, then the anticipated large power users, and any surplus energy would be sold to the national grid. Profits from these sales would help reduce distribution costs to more remote areas, and assist in carrying out measures for the economic development and social improvement of the Highlands. This famous social clause gave recognition that the Hydro Board was envisaged as an instrument for the rehabilitation of northern Scotland, not just an organization to provide electricity.

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Storr Lochs Generating Station

INVERNESS: Portree

1950s

Storr Lochs; hydro-electric; generating station; James Shearer;

Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre

William J Ramsay Archive

The generating station of the Storr Lochs hydro-electric scheme is situated at the base of a 350 foot cliff on the shores of Bearreraig Bay on northeast Skye. Early in the construction stage, contractors, James Miller and Partners Ltd planned to bring materials and equipment in by landing craft, but the strong tides and the loss of a vessel loaded with supplies changed that. Instead everything had to be brought overland and down the cliff. To make access easier a cable railway was built. The lower section of the railway can be seen behind the station, and clearly visible is the set of 647 steps roughly cast in the concrete beside the railway. <br />
<br />
In the late 1940s, James Shearer was hired as consultant architect for the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board and worked for them for 20 years. With this forward looking new industry, he was encouraged to express his own ideas on design of the buildings. He wanted to create buildings that were not just functional but aesthetically pleasing, and his preference to use local materials often resulted in quarries re-opening and providing additional local employment. His use of rugged stone masonry and slate roofs compliments the local surroundings.<br />
<br />
The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board received permission to construct a dam and power station at Storr Lochs on the Isle of Skye in 1949. The project combined the waters of Loch Fada and Loch Leathan in the Storr Lochs reservoir, with the generating house below on Bearreraig Bay. Construction began in early 1950, and was commissioned in May 1952. Before this a number of houses in the Broadford area had electricity via underwater cable from Kyle of Lochalsh, sourced at Nostie Bridge power station. In Portree, the Royal Hotel had a small diesel generator which provided some street lighting and a few houses with electricity, while most hotels and some larger houses had their own generators.<br />
<br />
The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board was established under the Hydro-Electric Development (Scotland) Act 1943. Thomas Johnston presented the Act in the House of Commons, declaring that by harnessing 'the great latent power of the region' it would assist in remedying the ills that affected the Highlands. Johnston told the Commons that 'industries, whether owned nationally or privately, will be and ought to be, attracted to locations in the Highlands, as a result of this measure'.<br />
<br />
Ordinary consumers would have priority, then the anticipated large power users, and any surplus energy would be sold to the national grid. Profits from these sales would help reduce distribution costs to more remote areas, and assist in carrying out measures for the economic development and social improvement of the Highlands. This famous social clause gave recognition that the Hydro Board was envisaged as an instrument for the rehabilitation of northern Scotland, not just an organization to provide electricity. <br />
<br />
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